The situation in Dili has been calm and there have been no major incidents.

Today, UNPol attended a total of eight incidents and made a total of 52 patrols. None of the incidents were serious.

Yesterday afternoon, the F-FDTL was escorting rice delivery trucks when several people tried to steal rice from the convoy near Dili Seaport. The F-FDTL fired two warning shots as a response. UNPol has investigated the incident and has found no evidence of any injuries.

In Ainaro, the anniversary of the founding of Martial Arts Group “KORK” was celebrated yesterday by approximately 1000 people. UNPol, Formed Police Units, and the International Stabilisation Forces monitored the celebrations, which remained peaceful.

In Maliana, an UNPol investigator is looking into the case of a PNTL officer who is accused of shooting a civilian in Suai District on 6 April. He visited the victim yesterday, who is in a stable condition.

Yesterday’s Security Briefing reported a fight between the villagers from Uaitame and Afalocai on 10 April. PNTL has since taken five people into custody, and the village chiefs of Matahoi, Uaitame and Afaloicai have met and agreed that there will be no more fighting.

The Elections Security Plan is currently in phase four, which covers the period after elections. UNPOL and PNTL are remaining in their allocated sectors until after the results are announced. Their tasks include transporting sensitive ballot materials and responding to any unrest connected with the declaration of results.

The Police advise to avoid traveling during the night to the most affected areas. Report any suspicious activities and avoid traveling the areas affected by disturbances. Call 112 or 7230365 to contact the police 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

This has been a daily broadcast of the UN Police in Timor-Leste, for the people of Timor-Leste

Thursday, April 12, 2007

The situation across the country has largely been calm, although there have been isolated incidents of violence unrelated to the elections.

Today, UNPol made a total of 50 patrols in Dili. There were no reports of serious incidents.

Last night in Dili, a Timorese journalist was attacked by a group of males at the Motael Church IDP camp. He received knife wounds and was conveyed to Dili hospital. His injuries are not thought to be life threatening.

In Ainaro, UNPol are preparing for the annual gathering of KORK. So far all is quiet, and there is no intelligence to suggest that violence is expected. Yesterday in Liquica, a young male received injuries to his leg from a steel dart after a dispute with another young male. Police have identified the suspect and the search for him continues. In Oecussi, a woman was attacked by her business partner. Her injuries are not life-threatening, and the suspect has been arrested. In Viqueque, there was a fight between villagers from Uaitame and Afaloicai. To disperse the crowds, a PNTL officer fired six warning shots into the air. No injuries were reported and the village chiefs are meeting to settle the matter.

UNPol, Formed Police Units and the International Stabilisation Forces are continuing to transport ballot materials to counting centres and back to Dili by road and by helicopter. The Elections Security Plan is currently in phase four, which covers the period after elections. UNPOL and PNTL are remaining in their allocated sectors until after the results are announced. Their tasks include transporting sensitive ballot materials and responding to any unrest that may arise in connection with the results.

The Police advise that you should avoid traveling during the night to the most affected areas. Contact the police if you see anything suspicious or any kind of problems, and avoid remaining near any disturbances. Call 112 or 7230365 to contact the police 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

This has been a daily broadcast of the UN Police in Timor-Leste, for the people of Timor-Leste

By Ahmad Pathoni in DiliEast Timor's election commission today rejected calls for a vote recount as the tiny nation looked set for a presidential run-off between Prime Minister Jose Ramos-Horta and the ruling Fretilin Party's candidate.

Monday's polls were mostly peaceful but a drawn-out election period and allegations of irregularities will raise concerns about fresh instability in the impoverished nation, still suffering from deep divisions five years after independence.

Overnight dozens of people in the predominantly Roman Catholic country, once a Portuguese colony, held a candlelit peace vigil near a statue of the Mother Mary in Dili.

Martinho Gusmao, the election commission spokesman, said the commission had offered to meet candidates to discuss voting disputes.

But he said there would not be any major shift in the results and rejected calls by some candidates for a recount.

“If there's a change it won't be drastic. No candidate will win more than 30 per cent.”He said it was almost certain Ramos-Horta and parliament chief Francisco Guterres of the ruling Fretilin Party, who is also known by the guerrilla nickname “Lu'olo” he had during the fight against the 24 years of Indonesian rule that followed Portugal's withdrawal, would contest a run-off.

In a later news conference, Mr Gusmao said all complaints would be submitted to the court of appeal.

“If the court decides we have to do a recount, we will do so,” he said.

If no one wins more than half the vote, a run-off will be held on May 8.

Preliminary vote counting showed that Mr Guterres, whose well-organised Fretilin Party has bigger support in rural areas, had 29 per cent of the vote, while Mr Ramos-Horta, a Nobel peace prize winner who spearheaded an overseas campaign for independence from Indonesia, had 23 per cent.

The election commission spokesman said, however, there were still disputes over the validity of 30 per cent of the votes. “We must understand that we are not well prepared for this election and things are a bit chaotic.”

Five candidates, including Fernando de Araujo of the Democratic Party, have called for a recount, alleging widespread irregularities.

Mr Ramos-Horta also said there had been flaws in the polls. “I think there should be another count because there are serious allegations,” he said.

But he said if there was no recount he would accept the results to contribute to stability. He accused police in some districts of acting as thugs for Fretilin.

Mr Ramos-Horta said he had been told by the chief of the UN mission assisting in the polls that about 150,000 voters did not vote, either because of too few polling stations or bad weather.A UN mission spokeswoman said: “If any of the candidates have concerns they should be raised with the national authorities and appealed through the court of appeal if necessary”.

EU observer chief Javier Pomes Ruiz said yesterday that the election had mostly gone smoothly with a high turnout.

Germany, the current EU president, called on all parties today to accept the results of the vote and any run-off “to ensure that the elections have a unifying impact”.

The secretary-general of Fretilin said there had been a “well mounted campaign against Fretilin” which he linked to Mr Ramos-Horta and outgoing President Xanana Gusmao.“This campaign includes disinformation, abuse of power and intimidation,” said Mari Alkatiri, replaced as Prime Minister by Mr Ramos-Horta after taking much of the blame for the chaos that emerged in East Timor last year.

A regional split erupted into bloodshed last May after the sacking of 600 mutinous troops from the western region.Foreign troops had to be brought in to restore order.

By Karen Michelmore in DiliEast Timor's Prime Minister, Jose Ramos-Horta, said today he was beginnning to have serious doubts about the fairness of this week's presidential election.

Some 150,000 people, or 30 per cent of registered voters, didn't vote, he said.

Dr Ramos-Horta is expected to contest a second run-off election against major party Fretilin's candidate Francisco "Lu Olo'' Guterres, after none of the eight candidates received the required majority to win outright in the first round.

Dr Ramos-Horta called for a greater UN presence and more Australian election observers in East Timor for a longer period during the next poll.

His comments came after five of the eight candidates yesterday called for an immediate halt of the counting, saying they would refuse to accept the result unless there was a public recount."It is most disconcerting, upsetting, as the common people .. poor people who trust in the democratic process, have been let down or might have been let down,'' Dr Ramos-Horta said.He said an investigation was needed into why so many people did not vote. Dr Ramos Horta said he supported the five candidates' request for a recount.

Fretilin today declared it had won the poll, describing it as "victory against all odds".

Fretilin had said it would continue to pursue its complaints about irregularities with the National Electoral Commission (CNE), but now described the flaws as acceptable in a youthful democracy. "There are no changes in what we detected during the process. What we want to say is that democracy in Timor Leste is still a youthful thing," former Fretilin prime minister Mari Alkatiri said.

"Events such as these ... so long as they don't effect the ultimate result of the election, we are capable of tolerating."

Mr Alkatiri said the result was lower than Fretilin's expectations, but said all seven other candidates had "ganged up" against him.He was confident of a Fretilin victory in the second round against Dr Ramos-Horta.

April 12 (Bloomberg) - East Timor's first presidential election since independence from Indonesia will go to a second round next month, as candidates protested that the ballot wasn't conducted fairly.

“There will absolutely be a second round because no candidate got 50 percent plus one of the vote,'' Martinho Gusmao, spokesman for the nation's electoral committee said by telephone from the capital, Dili, today.

Former guerrilla leader Franciso `Lu'Olo' Guterres of the ruling Fretilin Party will run against Prime Minister Jose Ramos Horta in the second ballot. He won 28 percent of the vote compared with Ramos Horta's 22 percent, Gusmao said, adding the second round will be held on May 9.Five of the eight candidates for president, including Guterres, filed protests with the committee yesterday, alleging the ballot wasn't conducted properly in some districts. They charge that voters were intimidated at some polling stations and a government member was allowed to count votes, Gusmao said.

East Timor, also known as Timor Leste, lies about 500 kilometers (310 miles) north of Australia. It declared independence in 2002 after 24 years of Indonesian occupation. The new president will face the challenge of sparking economic growth which was negative in 2006, reversing a 50 percent unemployment rate and improving conditions for the more than 1 million-strong population, 42 percent of which live below the poverty line.

Fretilin Party

“We are very confident Lu'Olo will win, we think he can be a president for all Timorese and he's got greater support in all districts,'' Arsenio Bano, spokesman for Lu'Olo and a member of Fretilin, said from Dili. “We don't understand why the national electoral committee's figures didn't have him in the lead two days ago, that's what our numbers showed.''

Fretilin members complained to the committee about election officials in rural districts accepting registration cards or photocopies of passports as identification, Bano said. The more than 522,000 registered voters had to present either a passport or official identity card issued by the committee in order to be allowed to vote.

Nobel peace prize winner Ramos Horta, who is running as an independent, said 30 percent of registered voters had not cast a ballot and demanded an investigation, Agence France-Presse reported today. “Were they intimidated or simply did not show up?'' AFP cited him as saying.Democratic Party candidate Fernando De Araujo came third in the ballot with about 18 percent of the vote and has protested to the committee about the voting.

“I suspect a lot of manipulation,'' he said in an interview from the capital yesterday.

Australian Concern

United Nations police and members of an Australian-led peacekeeping force provided security at the 504 polling stations and for the candidates.

Australian Prime Minister John Howard said in Canberra today he is concerned at reports of “voter irregularities.''

“The balance of the advice I've seen, and it appears to be attested to by the UN observers, is that, given the difficulties of a fledgling democracy, the ballot's been conducted in a reasonably proper manner,'' he added.

More than 2,000 observers monitored the election, including teams from the European Union, Australia and Japan.

There were some “procedural problems'' during the vote counting, Jose Javier Pomes Ruiz, the head of the EU's observer team, told reporters at a news conference, according to AFP.“The Timorese people have expressed their democratic choice in peaceful and open elections,'' he said.

East Timor has been unstable since former Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri, a Fretilin member, fired a third of the army last May, a move that provoked clashes between people from the eastern and western regions, resulting in 37 deaths.

In the past year, fighting between factions of the security forces and gang violence drove 150,000 people from their homes. The Australian-led peacekeeping contingent has been stationed in Dili since shortly after the unrest began.

Important Points for Electoral Reform and Legal Implementation in Timor-Leste.

The Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL) congratulates the people and the government for the peaceful Presidential Election held on the 9th April 2007. The observers appreciated East Timorese people for their positive will for democracy and good cooperation to the all 15 Election Commissioners from CNE and the management team from STAE. The observers also noted the remarkable high voter turn out.

ANFREL admired the hard work of polling officers at all polling stations who worked from the evening before the polling day till night of the Election Day and the non-governmental organization i.e. KOMEG, human rights NGOs and all the other groups of international observers. ANFREL would like to also commend the effective work from UNMIT and UNPol, who worked rapidly to solve all potential violence that could take place during the campaign and counting period. ANFREL still would like to see some more development regarding the democratic future, holding of free and fair elections for the coming Parliamentary election, it takes the opportunity to point out some aspects for further consideration and discussion in Timor-Leste and among the other Asian democratic countries.

The Election Administration * It would be important to have a fully independent management body (STAE) and its accountability under the CNE without any involvement of Ministry of State Administration. This is to avoid the influence of politicians and government officers from the ministry. The budget can be allocated to STAE through independent body.

* CNE should be able to make a decision for electoral system, electoral process and the decision to design the ballot paper and other electoral tool/facilities, without the consideration of the parliament or politicians.

* Declaration for the date of all elections should be authorized by CNE.

Voter Registration * In order to ensure the right of the voters, STAE should pay more attention and increase its efforts to assist people in rural and conflict areas and the IDPs to register themselves in the electoral rolls.

* Increased awareness for voter registration and its processes is needed, it was evident that the ongoing efforts had not produced the desired results as some voters did not know how and where to register and some of them even came to the polling stations with UN registration cards which could be used for this election.

Voter Education

* Considering the high number of illiterates in East Timor and the mistaken done at the polling stations on the 9th April, we encourages STAE and NGOs network in all districts provide adequate education programs to people.

* It was found that voters do not understand the pictures that were shown on the posters, stickers etc. Face to face education can be a better strategy for the next elections to reach them in an effective manner for voter education.

Campaign Process

* To create a fair competitive environment for all candidates, it is important to enforce the law and to punish those government officials who take government's facilities, vehicle and staff to support the campaign of some specific candidates or parties.

* Political parties should follow the campaign schedule set by the STAE and should not arbitrarily change the date and the place which could result in confrontation with another party. Changing the campaign schedule and place could lead to violence as it was in the Presidential election.

* For the fairness of all candidates, STAE and CNE must consider setting a ceiling of campaign expenditure, to limit the rich candidate/party, towards over spending, when some of the financially poor candidates do not have the same chance. ANFREL noted the positive provision in Timor-Leste, where the government has already provided 20,000 dollars in cash for each candidate for their campaign and the UNDP gave each about 10,000 dollars in kind for campaign material.

* The candidates should not take "black campaign" strategy to gain their popularity and should not attack other candidates with false rumors. Educating people can be done by emphasizing on their social, political and economic policies, so people can consider choosing the good leader from their right judgment.

* Since political campaign is always risked with conflict and violence, candidates and party agents should not take children for political activities, even though they may voluntarily joined the campaigns or they were hired with low pay.

Intimidation

* ANFREL calls on all stakeholders and those who decline their rights to vote, to respect the rights of voters and vulnerable people.

* The supporters, canvassers, members and party agents should not assist the candidates with unethical means i.e. intimidation, harassment, setting a condition, discrimination, revenge etc. All candidates should perform their potential leadership with passion and ability to unite the country; they should not win the election while creating more conflict and hate.

Polling Process

* Poll officers need more civic education for effective working process. This is in order to implement the electoral work and activities in the same manner at all polling stations.

* The electoral process on the 9th April had been conducted slowly. There is a need to increase the poll officers to six persons in each polling station and increase the ballot boxes for some areas which have large constituency population to cater too, this will decrease the time for voters to wait for their turn to vote and will also facilitate in decreasing the long queue's taking place.

* To prevent multiple votes or double votes, STAE should view the list of voters from the code of voter card that officer note down in the book, before allowing the voter to take the ballot paper. This is to check if there are any code numbers double or multiple in the signed list. Those who use passport to vote can also use old voter or new voter cards to vote.

* Voter's index fingers needs to be examined to also check for any person who is trying to indulge in bogus voting. It was noted that most polling stations did not check the voter's index finger, whether it was already inked. Multiple/double voters should be punished or fined when detected.

Counting Process

* There should have only one pattern for the counting process in all polling stations.

* To save the time of counting, it is not necessary to classify the valid and invalid ballot papers before counting the number.

* Counting can be done directly and singled out invalid ballot paper can be part of the process; there is no need for duplication of efforts resulting in double work.

* Counting should not be done in the dark room, but in a well lit area, where people, media and other interested parties can observe the process taking place in complete transparent manner following all the due process.

* For the security reason, a counting process at counting center still is recommended for all elections.

Media

* During the electoral period, local TV and radio programs should be free from any influence of any specific power.

* The local and foreign media should provide the public with impartial, fair and equal information of all candidates and not focus on some famous candidates only.

In the first round of East Timor’s presidential election on Monday, Fretilin candidate Francisco “Lu-Olo” Guterres received the highest vote, with 28.8 percent of the total, according to preliminary results. Prime Minister Jose Ramos-Horta, who stood as an independent, won 22.6 percent support, ahead of six other candidates, including the Democratic Party’s Fernando “La Sama” de Araujo who received 18.5 percent. Because no candidate won more than 50 percent of the vote, a run-off ballot between Guterres and Ramos-Horta is scheduled for May 8.

Opposition candidates, led by de Araujo, have disputed the outcome and are threatening legal action over alleged voter intimidation and ballot tampering. The National Electoral Commission yesterday decided not to hold a recount unless ordered by a court of appeal. The Australian media has promoted corruption accusations against Fretilin, and the uncertain outcome will likely see further instability, providing the Howard government with ample opportunity to intervene. Canberra has made clear its determination to prevent a Fretilin victory.

About 1,200 Australian and New Zealand troops currently occupy East Timor. These forces were dispatched last May after the Howard government seized upon, and possibly instigated, a violent split in the East Timorese military in order to tighten Canberra’s grip over the oil- and gas-rich country and unseat the Fretilin government of Mari Alkatiri. The Howard government considered Alkatiri to be too close to rival powers China and Portugal, and an obstacle to the Australian ruling elite’s economic and strategic interests. While Canberra successfully ousted Alkatiri and installed its favoured candidate Ramos-Horta, Fretilin still has a large parliamentary majority.

The Howard government views the presidential election and the parliamentary vote scheduled for June 30 as a means of further undermining the ruling party and installing a pliant pro-Australian regime. Canberra has backed Ramos-Horta’s and President Xanana Gusmao’s efforts to switch offices through the presidential and parliamentary elections. Gusmao has formed a new right-wing party to mobilise opposition to Fretilin.

Sections of the Australian media could hardly contain their excitement when early returns from polling booths in the capital, Dili, showed Ramos-Horta with a strong lead over Guterres, who, it appeared, was not even ranked among the top two candidates. The tone shifted, however, once Guterres overtook Ramos-Horta after additional votes from Fretilin strongholds in the eastern districts were counted. Opposition candidates’ allegations of corruption and vote rigging are now being widely promoted.

“The difference [in vote tallies] today is that we have had a lot of votes coming in from the eastern towns, particularly Baucau and Lautem which are two Fretilin strongholds in the east of the country,” ABC Radio’s Ann Barker declared on Wednesday. “Fretilin says they have very good campaigners there, good organisers and that’s why their vote has sort of jumped today. But in light of the allegations that we’ve heard this afternoon, you now have to wonder whether there may be something more sinister behind it.”

No evidence has been produced to substantiate the opposition’s allegations. More than 2,000 international and East Timorese election observers monitored the 700 polling booths and reported few irregularities. Some booths ran out of ballot papers, but many of these were in areas that traditionally back Fretilin. De Araujo and other opposition candidates have accused Fretilin members of spoiling the ballots of 150,000 voters—a figure based on the difference between the 357,000 valid votes counted and the 520,000 people registered to vote. However, the chief of the UN mission in East Timor, Atul Khare, explained that the “missing” ballots were due to voter turnout, which at around 70 percent was lower than initial estimates.

Electoral fraud allegations are being aired by the Australian media in preparation for a possible Guterres victory in next month’s run-off ballot. The media and political establishment in Canberra would no doubt dismiss such a result as illegitimate and fraudulent. Ramos-Horta is already being portrayed by sections of the Australian media as a certainty for the second round of voting. Having spent considerable resources on ousting Alkatiri last year and maintaining its occupation of the country, the Howard government is not about to let an election disrupt its agenda.

Voter disaffectionThe presidential vote revealed widespread voter disaffection with the entire East Timorese political establishment. No candidate received more than 30 percent support. Fretilin’s vote was significantly lower than the 57 percent of the vote it won in constituent assembly elections held in 2001. The decline reflects disillusionment with the realities of life following East Timor’s so-called independence. Fretilin promised its supporters that formal independence, granted in 2002, would set the stage for national economic development and raised living standards for the population.

This has been exposed as an illusion. While “independence” has benefited a tiny layer of the East Timorese elite, ordinary people continue to suffer from extreme poverty. According to the World Bank, more than 20 percent of the population lives on less than a dollar a day, and unemployment in urban areas is more than 40 percent. Tens of thousands of people displaced during last year’s unrest still live in squalid refugee camps.

Ramos-Horta attempted to capitalise on Fretilin’s record by presenting himself as a “president for the poor”. Both he and Xanana Gusmao promised to spend oil revenues on social programs aimed at reducing poverty and unemployment. Pledging to pay $US40 a month in pensions to the poorest 100,000 East Timorese, Ramos-Horta accused Alkatiri of being a “fiscal conservative”.

The Fretilin government earlier agreed to International Monetary Fund demands that oil and gas revenues be locked away in an investment fund, supposedly in order to prevent corruption and wasteful spending. The real purpose, however, was to provide a means through which Australia and other countries could avoid providing adequate levels of aid money to East Timor. Fretilin’s implementation of this measure demonstrated the pro-business nature of their program, which belied allegations levelled by right-wing elements in East Timor and sections of the Australian media that the party was “Marxist”.

Ramos-Horta’s populist pitch on the oil fund fell flat, however. The candidate received just 22 percent of the vote, despite his constant promotion in the Australian media as a political colossus and despite receiving Canberra and Washington’s political, and probably financial, backing. Behind Ramos-Horta’s appeal to the poor lay a clear appeal to international investors and Timorese business interests. He promised to eliminate virtually all business taxes and impose a flat income tax of 10 per cent in order to “make East Timor a fiscal paradise, next only to Hong Kong, that would attract investors from Australia and the entire region”.

It remains unclear whether Ramos-Horta will receive the backing of the losing six candidates’ supporters in the run-off ballot. While most of the candidates are adamantly anti-Fretilin, Ramos-Horta is widely regarded as an opportunist and a self-serving manoeuvrer. Some of the minor candidates have threatened to boycott the second round unless the preliminary results of the initial vote are revised. Whatever the outcome, none of the problems affecting East Timor’s working class and rural poor will be resolved.

The European Commission welcomes the high participation and the peaceful development of the first round of the Presidential elections in Timor-Leste. The European Commission considers these elections, which will be followed by the Parliamentary elections later this year, as a fundamental step in the process of consolidation of the Timorese democracy and of the Timorese institutions. European Commission President José Manuel Durão Barroso hailed the strong attachment to democracy shown once again by the Timorese people in the first general elections organized by national institutions: “I was heartened to see the orderly and peaceful manner in which long lines of people waited to cast their votes and I hope that this calm will prevail going forward, allowing the democratic will of the Timorese people to be expressed in peace and security.”

The EU has deployed an Election Observation Mission (EOM) to Timor-Leste to observe the Presidential and the Parliamentary elections. The Preliminary Statement delivered by the mission praised the openness and peaceful conditions in which the elections have been held. The Preliminary Statement acknowledges that “the elections were generally smoothly conducted by the Timorese electoral authorities in spite of the difficult terrain and logistics challenges”. Even though the official results are not yet available, the provisional data show a neck-and-neck race among several candidates and allow foreseeing a run-off between the two strongest candidates."The fact that we have deployed an EU mission to observe these first general elections after independence confirms our strong support to Timor-Leste on its difficult path of building a nation. We are convinced this mission, under the leadership of Chief Observer Javier Pomés, made an important contribution and their findings will be useful to the Timorese institutions for the next round and the forthcoming Parliamentary elections. I am confident that all parties will accept the outcome", said the European Commissioner responsible for external relations, Benita Ferrero-Waldner.

“This mission together with an assistance for the organization of elections of € 1.5 million out of its institutional capacity building programme under the 9th European Development Fund confirms the EU's strong support for the electoral process in Timor-Leste. We also acknowledge the role of the international community, in particular UNMIT, in helping to prepare and organize the election and creating a reassuring environment. This was fundamental in order to give the election results credibility as the true reflection of the democratic choice of the Timorese people and as an important step to overcome the current political crisis of the country”, stressed Louis Michel, the Commissioner responsible for development and humanitarian aid.

Allison Cooper, Spokesperson: Good afternoon everybody. Thank you for coming to our press briefing. Not much from me this morning except there is a new statement here by the Secretary General of the United Nations following yesterday’s presidential elections. Is in four language and I encourage you all to take a copy of it before you leave. This afternoon we will be hearing from our head of mission, Mr Atul Khare and the will be followed by Mr. Finn Reske-Nielsen. Thank you for coming.

SRSG Khare: Good afternoon, thank you very much for coming. I am delighted that the past 24 hours have been peaceful, as indeed have been the last weeks.

Voting in the Presidential elections proceeded without major incidents of violence or intimidation, which is already a very good result of these elections for Timor Leste.

Yesterday I visited several sites in Dili and also two regions.

First of all I went to Alor in Manufahi. When I arrived voting had been ongoing for two hours and almost a third of the registered voters had already cast their votes.

Thereafter I went to Dilor in Viqueque. Voter turnout was also very high midway through the morning and I was told that close to 50% of the registered voters had cast their votes by 10:30 in the morning in that remote location also.

Of course prior to that, earlier yesterday morning I had visited several sites including the areas which had see some troubles in the past and late February early March, such as Bairro Pité, Kampung Baru and had visited the camp of internal displaced persons in front of Hotel Timor.

From whatever I saw, in all these visits I sincerely believe that the attitude of the voters was positive, confident and excited.

The people of Timor Leste seemed to be embracing their own day at the polls.

As I said in the beginning I am pleased with the absence of violence. Of course I have been confident all along that the election would be peaceful and I would like to congratulate the people of Timor-Leste on their peaceful participation. I would like to thank UNPOL and the PNTL, the local police service who worked tirelessly around the clock, supported by ISF as needed to secure this good result.

In some ways the real challenge for the nation begins now. The democratic process commences with a vote but it is tested by the ability of the government and a strong constructive opposition to provide good governance for all.

I encourage all candidates and their supporters to accept the results of the elections to be announced by the authorities in the coming days and if they were legitimate shortcomings to challenge these results in the courts. Accepting results includes accepting defeat and using the defeat as an opportunity to form a strong opposition. This will be especially important for the parliamentary elections that are to follow.

I call upon the people of this country to continue their overwhelming commitment to democracy. The presidential candidates and their supporters went through the campaigning period without serious security incidents. More than half a million people went to the polls yesterday in a peaceful manner all this I believe, bodes well for the future of democracy in Timor-Leste.

As Allison just told you, the Secretary General of the United Nations, Mr Ban Ki-moon has issued a message and a copy of that is available here in the pres conference. Mr Ban Ki-moon has reiterated to the people of Timor Leste that they do have the strong support of the international community.

At UNMIT, we look forward to working with the new President and later with the new parliament and government to delivering that support.

Once the elections are over we must, together with the new Government of this country, continue to address four key areas: firstly, the security sector, secondly the justice sector, thirdly good governance and finally development.

Making progress in these four areas will be a challenge that we will face together.

Progress in these four areas will strengthen the state institutions to become the living example of the core democratic values of inclusiveness, transparency, accountability and participation.

It is these values that will usher Timor into a true democratic consolidation.

Let me now hand you over to DSRSG Mr. Finn Reske-Nielsen who will provide you with more details about yesterday’s elections.

DSRSG Finn Reske-Nielsen: Thank you very much, good afternoon everybody.

It is indeed very good to know that all of the people of Timor-Leste who wished to do so had an opportunity to vote yesterday. In fact we are only missing one polling center that is not yet confirmed yet that everybody who wanted to vote in fact was able to do so. So after the 500 polling centers 499 are confirmed, this is indeed the good news.

And today, the tabulation process is continuing in the district capitals and the results will be transmitted from the district capitals to the CNE headquarters for a national tabulation later in the week.

The retrieval of the ballot boxes and all other electoral materials from the field is still ongoing and this is a result of bad weather from a few locations. We have had some difficulties in Manatuto and Viqueque and this were purely due to bad weather.

I would like to take this opportunity to say that I am quiet impressed by the work that has been done so far by STAE and by the CNE in conducting this election and I think it is a clear sign of the growing capacity that’s available in this country to run democratic elections.

The United Nations system in Timor-Leste has continue to provide a range of support to the national institutions and this is not just the support that has been provided by the mission over the past few days and in particular, logistical support using our helicopters to transport materials from Dili to the polling centers. But also as I mentioned the retrieval of the electoral materials back to district capitals and Dili this week. It is also this significant support that has been provided by the United Nations Development Program, UNDP, which has provided support in an integrated manner to the government. You are aware that UNDP has provided not just technical assistance, they have also been managing the candidates resource center, which was established several weeks ago and the UNDP has played a critical role in supporting both national and international observers and coordinating their deployment.

This support of course would continue through the week and we would also provide similar kinds of support should there be a second round or run off election for the presidency and we will of course also continue the support to the parliamentary election. Thank you.

Q: I was just wondering if something could have done about the quality of information that is available to us. I think there are some problems with information getting from the CNE and some journalists are [inaudible]. I would like to point out, I think it’s probably a question for the candidates themselves but there has been considerable disinformation in the newspapers and candidates, or at least one candidate I suppose Fernando Lasama has complained that the story in today’s Suara Timor Lorosae is completely false. For me the story on the front page of Timor Post is also extremely misleading because it gives the example of completed count in fact was taken at a very early count. And we have a contradiction between that figure and a rough figure given to us today by the CNE on what is happening in Dili so nobody really knows so here we are.

SRSG Khare: Thank you Jill. This is not really a question but I would certainly encourage the Timorese authorities in the right direction. I chose to say a few words because I personally strongly believe that an independent, impartial, well informed media acting as a critical oversight body is absolutely essential for the functioning of any democracy. Therefore we shall certainly take it up with the authorities concerned and assist them should assistance be required for development of their own capacities and also to implement fully the code of conduct for the media which I believe the national authority has formulated.

Q: Do you have any voter turn up figure you able to release as the CNE?

SRSG Khare: This is for the CNE to release all the figures, be it voter turn out or in due course the result of the election and other details but in a totally both DSRSG Finn who visited several areas, I myself, the reports that we have been getting, we believe that was a high voter turn out. That might just clear

Spokesperson Cooper: I will just add to that, the next CNE press conference is at 3 o’clock this afternoon so you might get more information officially from them at that time. Any more questions?

Q: I would like to raise my question in regards to the security. Would UNMIT be able to guarantee security when the results of the election is announced in case there are some incidents created by the rioters?

SRSG Khare: During the period of campaign it has been quiet good as I told you earlier. Out of 131 electoral campaigns only 18 were troubled by non-serious incidents of violence. Yesterday I had been delighted to get a report from the police, which I have never seen in more than 93 countries that I have visited or I have lived in. This report started by murder, zero, public disturbances, zero, carrying of weapons, zero everything zero, arrest also zero. I have never seen that type of report. That report is actually a credit to the people of Timor-Leste. Security is first and foremost the responsibility of us all and I believe the people of Timor-Leste will continue to contribute to maintenance of peace during this process even before the announcement of results of the election and after formal announcement of the results of the election. But should there be disrupted elements, the rioters of the type you are talking about? The police UNPOL, PNTL together with them supported by ISF are ready to take immediate control of the situation and to ensure that calm and peace be maintained.

Q: I would like to add what has been said by Jill, she said that the front page of Timor-Leste[Post] is misleading. I would like to confirm here that the news, we issued are based on the facts that we gathered at the polling stations where our reporters were there. We had no capacity to reach Atauro and Hera so we did not based our facts on the [inaudible] but from the polling stations our reporters were and we also run story based on the statements issued by CNE.

SRSG Khare: Thank you we take note of that. As I said, it is indeed true that an independent, impartial, very informed media exercising a critical oversight role is essential for democracy and we will take to do whatever we can to continue to develop to strengthening capacity.

Allison Cooper: Thanks everyone, just remaining you Secretary General statement are here and I will see you back here at midday on Thursday. Thank you

East Timor presidential runoff candidate Jose Ramos-Horta said Thursday the United Nations should explain why 30 percent of voters did not cast a ballot in the first round and demanded a recount. "It seems like at least 30 percent of voters did not vote," he told reporters. "Why? I don't know." "There has to be an investigation," the tiny state's current prime minister said. "I ask the UN for an explanation."

The presidential contest is scheduled to be decided in a May 8 runoff between Ramos-Horta and the ruling Fretilin party's Francisco Guterres after a tight first round, held on Monday, ended in stalemate.

The poll was the first presidential election since East Timor's independence in 2002 and was described by international observers as generally open, orderly and peaceful.

But Ramos-Horta said it was an open question why more than 150,000 people did not vote from about 520,000 registered to cast a ballot. "Were they intimidated or simply did not show up?" he asked, adding many people had doubts about the election in the former Portuguese colony. "I think there should be another count," said Ramos-Horta, who shared a Nobel Peace Prize for championing East Timor's cause when it was occupied by Indonesia from 1974 to 1999.

Five losing candidates from the eight who stood to replace President Xanana Gusmao have also demanded a recount, alleging the election was undermined by intimidation, problems with the count and other issues.

"Today I heard that several boxes of ballot papers were found last night, from Dili, that had not been counted," Ramos-Horta said, referring to East Timor's capital.

The poll was organised by local officials and observers reported a high turnout from Timorese desperate to end the poverty and bloodshed that has scarred their young nation."I will have to evaluate myself whether the UN here has done what they should have done to assist the East Timorese in having fair elections, or were they too marginal - too passive and watching?" Ramos-Horta said.

Guterres, the former guerrilla popularly known as Lu Olo, took 28.79 percent of the vote and Ramos-Horta 22.6 percent, according to provisional figures from the national election commission.

Foreign peacekeepers have been on the streets of East Timor, formally known as Timor-Leste, for nearly a year after gang violence left 37 people dead and sent 150,000 fleeing their homes in April and May 2006.

Gusmao won a pre-independence poll following East Timor's bloody split from Indonesia in 1999 and has set his sights on the more powerful job of prime minister.

AAP - April 12, 2007 12:00am

'Serious doubts' about Timor pollBy Karen Michelmore in DiliEast Timor's Prime Minister, Jose Ramos-Horta, said today he was beginnning to have serious doubts about the fairness of this week's presidential election.

Some 150,000 people, or 30 per cent of registered voters, didn't vote, he said.

Dr Ramos-Horta is expected to contest a second run-off election against major party Fretilin's candidate Francisco "Lu Olo'' Guterres, after none of the eight candidates received the required majority to win outright in the first round.

Dr Ramos-Horta called for a greater UN presence and more Australian election observers in East Timor for a longer period during the next poll.

His comments came after five of the eight candidates yesterday called for an immediate halt of the counting, saying they would refuse to accept the result unless there was a public recount. "It is most disconcerting, upsetting, as the common people .. poor people who trust in the democratic process, have been let down or might have been let down,'' Dr Ramos-Horta said.

He said an investigation was needed into why so many people did not vote.

Dr Ramos Horta said he supported the five candidates' request for a recount.

Fretilin today declared it had won the poll, describing it as "victory against all odds".

Fretilin had said it would continue to pursue its complaints about irregularities with the National Electoral Commission (CNE), but now described the flaws as acceptable in a youthful democracy.

"There are no changes in what we detected during the process. What we want to say is that democracy in Timor Leste is still a youthful thing," former Fretilin prime minister Mari Alkatiri said.

"Events such as these ... so long as they don't effect the ultimate result of the election, we are capable of tolerating."

Mr Alkatiri said the result was lower than Fretilin's expectations, but said all seven other candidates had "ganged up" against him.

He was confident of a Fretilin victory in the second round against Dr Ramos-Horta.

Reuters - Thu 12 Apr 2007 4:15:13 BST

East Timorese hold peace vigil amid poll disputes

By Ahmad Pathoni Dili - East Timor's election commission will meet on Thursday to discuss calls for a vote recount, as the tiny nation faces a presidential run-off between Prime Minister Jose Ramos-Horta and the ruling Fretilin Party's candidate.

Monday's polls were mostly peaceful but a drawn-out election period and allegations of irregularities will raise concerns about fresh instability in the impoverished nation that still has deep divisions five years after independence.

Overnight dozens of people in the predominantly Roman Catholic country, once a Portuguese colony, held a candlelit vigil near a statue of the Mother Mary in Dili to pray for peace. Martinho Gusmao, the election commission spokesman, said the commission would meet candidates to discuss voting disputes. But he said there would not be any major shift in the results. "If there's a change it won't be drastic. No candidate will win more than 30 percent."

If no one wins more than half the vote, a run-off will be held on May 8.

Gusmao said it was almost certain Ramos-Horta and parliament chief Francisco Guterres of Fretilin, who is also known by the guerrilla nickname "Lu'olo" he had during the fight against the 24 years of Indonesian rule that followed Portugal's withdrawal, would contest a run-off.

Preliminary vote counting showed Guterres, whose well-organised Fretilin Party has bigger support in rural areas, had 29 percent of the vote, while Ramos-Horta, a Nobel peace prize winner who spearheaded an overseas campaign for independence from Indonesia, had 23 percent. The election commission spokesman said, however, that there were still disputes over the validity of 30 percent of the votes.

"We must understand that we are not well prepared for this election and things are a bit chaotic."

Five candidates, including Fernando de Araujo of the Democratic Party, called for a recount on Wednesday, alleging widespread irregularities.

COUNTER CLAIMS Ramos-Horta said there had been many flaws in the polls.

"I think there should be another count because there are serious allegations," he told reporters. But he said if there was no recount he would accept the results to contribute to stability. He accused police in some districts of acting as thugs for Fretilin.

National election commission chief Faustino Cardoso Gomes said final results were expected on April 16 or 17.

Fretilin's secretary general said there had been a "well mounted campaign against Fretilin" that he linked to Ramos-Horta and outgoing President Xanana Gusmao.

"This campaign includes disinformation, abuse of power and intimidation," said Mari Alkatiri, who was replaced as prime minister by Ramos-Horta last year after taking much of the blame for the chaos that emerged in East Timor last year.

A regional split erupted into bloodshed last May after the sacking of 600 mutinous troops from the western region. Foreign troops had to be brought in to restore order.

"I have no doubt we will win the next round," said Alkatiri.

EU observer chief Javier Pomes Ruiz said on Wednesday that the election had mostly gone smoothly with a high turnout. "The opinion of the EU observation mission in general is that the level of violence and intimidation is not enough to change the opinion of a peaceful and orderly process," he said.

The Nation (Tailândia) - Thu, April 12, 2007 - 0:10 am

Editorial: Democracy fragile in E Timor

It is time for Asean to support Dili's democratic efforts by inducting the young state as its eleventh member

It has not been easy for East Timor, one of the world's youngest nations, to maintain the rule of law, nurture democracy, and avoid the slippery slope toward the unenviable status of a failed state. East Timor is a poor country with only 900,000 people, but it has managed to survive despite many unresolved problems related to poverty and its traumatic recent history. The country's presidential election on Monday went ahead peacefully and served as a showcase for the democratic aspirations of the East Timorese, who in 1999 voted for independence after 24 years under Indonesian rule.

Last year, the country descended into chaos due to a mutiny in its armed forces. Thousands of refugees fled their homes to escape a flare-up of violence in which dozens were killed. To ensure stability, Australian troops have been stationed there in a peace-keeping capacity.

Following the country's first electoral round on Monday, there will be a run-off contest between the two frontrunners - former prime minister and Nobel laureate Jose Ramos-Horta and Francisco Guterres, the former commander of the Fretilin Party - as none of the eight candidates in the election won enough votes to declare victory. The winner will succeed charismatic president Xanana Gusmao, who did not seek re-election and looks set to run as a candidate to be prime minister shortly.

Although it is hard to predict the outcome of the run-off poll, it is hoped that the next president will be able to restore calm and establish a sense of normalcy. The contest between Ramos-Horta, who has been the country's voice overseas for decades, and Guterres, who has many followers, will be a close one. Guterres got 28.7 per cent of the votes while Ramos-Horta secured 22.6 per cent in the first round on Monday.

East Timor has great potential because of its rich natural resources, especially its oil and gas deposits, which could serve as a vast source of revenue for its national development.The country needs dedicated technocrats who can run and manage the economy so that everybody in society benefits from the oil and gas money. Since its independence in 1999, and three years of UN administration, East Timor has been struggling to survive local disputes and discord among various ethnic groups within its borders.

The country still needs a functioning bureaucracy to run the country effectively and take care of its natural resources and properly utilise the large oil revenues it will receive in the future. Media outlets in East Timor also have a role to play in disseminating information, encouraging reconciliation and promoting stability in a divided community where members speak many different languages.

Finally, Asean must do all it can to embrace East Timor now. Although Dili was invited to join the group as an observer several years back and it signed the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation, the country is still far from becoming a member.

Indeed, it is time that Asean induct East Timor as its eleventh member.

There is no need to wait any longer to include the country. After all, Asean did not wait for the military junta in Burma to give way to democracy before admitting that country into the grouping in 1997. East Timor is a democratic country and Asean should provide it with assistance and organisational support. Ongoing Asean programmes with its dialogue partners would help East Timor to overcome its current problems.

It is true that East Timor has better and closer ties with the South Pacific Forum, which it has been a part of since declaring independence. However, as a member of Asean, East Timor would feel more at home as its younger generation and bureaucrats have become more familiar with Southeast Asian culture than any other. Furthermore, East Timor could also serve as a bridge between Southeast Asia and Pacific nations.

Asean would not mind such an arrangement. Indeed such an arrangement would benefit Asean members, which could utilise East Timor's extensive network of contacts in the Pacific and Europe.

Post Courier – Thursday 12th April , 2007

Fretlin ahead

Dili: Fretilin appeared to have taken the lead in East Timor presidential race, with more than half the votes counted, a local election observer group said yesterday.

KOMEG, the largest East Timorese election observation group monitoring the election, said Fretilin’s candidate Francisco Guterres “Lu Olo” had 102,424 votes, from a total of 374,458 votes counted.

More than half a million East Timorese went to the polls on Monday to select a new president. Eight candidates are vying to replace independence fighter Xanana Gusmao as president of the tiny nation.

KOMEG said Prime Minister Jose Ramos Horta appeared to be in second place with 80,171 votes with the Democratic Party candidate Fernando “La Sama” de Araujo third with 68,723 votes.

However, KOMEG said counting was still proceeding and the results were preliminary.

KOMEG said it gathered its results from monitoring the progress at polling centres across East Timor. Counting is proceeding slowly in all districts, with the national election commission expected to announce more formal official preliminary results later.

With none of the candidates likely to gain the required majority for an outright win, a second, run-off, election is expected to be held next month.

The national electoral commission (CNE) later released results which put Dr Ramos Horta in front with a narrow lead after 70 per cent of the vote had been counted.

ABC – Thursday, April 12, 2007. 2:24pm (AEST)

Ramos Horta urges UN to increase election scrutinyBy Anne Barker

East Timor's Prime Minister and presidential candidate Jose Ramos Horta has called for a stronger United Nations mission to supervise the second round of elections next month.Most of the eight presidential candidates have alleged serious irregularities or intimidation of voters in Monday's ballot.

Five minor candidates have accused the ruling Fretilin Party of intimidating voters to support their candidate, and they are demanding a recount of votes.

Dr Ramos Horta has urged the UN to increase its police presence before the second run-off election next month to minimise the chance of foul play.

He says independent election monitors must keep watch on the entire campaign, and not just the ballot itself.

Dr Ramos Horta will run against the Fretilin candidate Francisco Guterres, or Lu Olo, in early May.

The Jakarta Post - Thursday, April 12, 2007

Ramos-Horta, Guterres face run-off election

Abdul Khalik, The Jakarta Post, Dili

All 13 districts in Timor Leste finished vote counting Wednesday, with Fretilin's Francisco Guterres Lu `Olo and Prime Minister Jose Ramos-Horta taking the largest portions of the vote.They will now face each other in a run-off election on May 8 as no candidate garnered more than 50 percent of the primary vote.

The Timor Leste Election Commission (CNE) announced that out of the 357,766 valid votes cast, Guterres of the ruling Fretilin Party obtained 103,013, or 28.79 percent, followed by Ramos-Horta with 80,851 votes or 22.60 percent and the Democrat Party's Fernando de Araujo Lasama with 66,261 votes or 18.52 percent.

Francisco Xavier do Amaral and the only female candidate, Lucia Maria Lobato, are in fourth and fifth place with 12.82 percent and 9.24 percent respectively, while the three other candidates each have less than 5 percent of the vote.

"By four o'clock this afternoon, we officially closed the counting at the district level, and came up with Francisco Guterres as the winner, followed by Jose Ramos-Horta in second place," CNE spokesman Martinho da Silva Gusmao told a press conference here Wednesday.Gusmao could not provide final figures on the total voter turnout and invalid votes, but said that with the number of eligible voters in the country standing at 522,933, the percentage of valid votes to eligible votes was 68.42 percent.

He said that starting Thursday the CNE would begin a national tabulation to verify the results of the counting at the district level, and would have complete and final figures in the coming days."However, there is little possibility of significant change. It is almost likely that Lu `Olo and Ramos-Horta will be advanced to the second round," Gusmao said.

Meanwhile five other candidates - Lasama, do Amaral, Lucia Lobato, Avelina Coelho and Manuel Tilman - demanded that the CNE stop vote counting until all ballot boxes were secured in one place and continue counting in the presence of the eight candidates because they had found many irregularities during the voting and counting process.

"We have facts of fraud and irregularities. We will not accept the CNE's counting results unless they follow our demands. If the CNE proceeds with the current process then we will challenge the election results in court," Lasama told a press conference.

However, the EU Election Observation Mission for Timor Leste, the largest foreign observer for the election, announced that it had not found any irregularities that seriously undermined the credibility of the election.

"The Timorese people have expressed their democratic choice in peaceful and open elections. Conducted by Timorese for the first time, the challenge ahead is to strengthen national institutions," EU observation mission chief Javier Pomes Ruiz told a press conference on the preliminary assessment of the election.

Later in the afternoon, Ramos-Horta expressed confidence that he would win the run-off election with Fretilin's candidate.

"Not only will I get votes from the supporters of all other candidates, I can also obtain support from moderate members of Fretilin," he told reporters.

Political advisor to Guterres Harold Moucho was also confident that Guterres would win the run-off.

"There are more than 90,000 invalid votes, and we believe that they belong to us. We are also sure that part of the supporter base of do Amaral and Tilman will vote for us. It remains to be seen whether Lasama's supporters will vote for us but these people don't want to lose for the second time so they will pick the strongest one," he told The Jakarta Post.

TONY EASTLEY: Doubts are being raised about the fairness of the Presidential election in East Timor with claims of vote manipulation and voter intimidation.

The accusations come from five of the eight candidates.

The Electoral Commission says it won't investigate though until it receives a formal complaint. At this stage of counting the Fretilin Party Candidate, Francisco Lu Olo Guterres, is clearly in the lead. From Dili, Anne Barker reports.

ANNE BARKER: All five candidates from East Timor's minor political parties have written to the National Electoral Commission demanding a recount of the entire vote otherwise they say they'll mount a court challenge to the final result.

CANDIDATE: We are not happy with this process and we want the boxes to bring all to Dili and we recount it in, in the Capital.

ANNE BARKER: They're not the only ones alleging irregularities in the electoral processes. European Union observers say they too witnessed intimidation at four polling booths and irregular practices during the count.

One Australian observer says he's alarmed that close to a quarter of all votes have been declared invalid. Damien Kingsbury from Deakin University says there must be a recount. DAMIEN KINGSBURY: The problem's not with the vote, the problem appears to be with the counting process.

Last night we had observers count, watching the count, and the number of invalid votes appeared to be very small, in order of a couple of per cent at most and today we see it's jumped to what looks like about a quarter and that simply can't be explained.

It's also worth noting that on a 70 per cent count of the vote, provisionally, Lu Olo, the Fertilin candidate had about 23 per cent of the vote at the end of the day, when the last 30 per cent was counted, he jumped to 29 per cent and that would seem to be statistically highly unusual, highly irregular.

ANNE BARKER: But doesn't that, isn't that because the votes that have come in today have included those towns where Fretilin has its strongest voter base in Vlatal (phonetic) and Vlatem (phonetic).

DAMIEN KINGSBURY: Well they would come in from the more remote polling stations for sure, but that goes equally across the country where Lu Olo is both popular and unpopular, you don't usually expect to see such a significant shift in voter intentions, once 70 per cent of the vote has been counted.

ANNE BARKER: So do you believe there's been some sort of manipulation of the vote in those two towns?

DAMIEN KINGSBURY: I don't know if it's in those two towns as such, I think that what we need to do is to have a recount in Dili, with independent scrutineers not party scrutineers but independent scrutineers, participating and perhaps not allowing the Electoral Commission to participate because there has been concerns that a number of Electoral Commission members are in fact Fretilin Party appointees.

ANNE BARKER: Are you saying then that the count hasn't been properly supervised or that some of the counters then are corrupt?

DAMIEN KINGSBURY: It looks like some of the counters have been influenced by their, their own political affiliations.

ANNE BARKER: So do you believe if, if Lu Olo becomes the President of East Timor, that he may have got there illegally?

DAMIEN KINGSBURY: Well, on the basis of the current numbers he still only has 29 per cent of the vote so he has to go to a second round. That means that 71 per cent of the vote is non-Fretilin so his chances of being successful of becoming President are still pretty slim, but having said that, I think that candidates like Fernando Lasama de Araujo would have real concerns about this because at 70 per cent of the count, he was within a hairbreadth of overtaking Jose Ramos Horta, now he's well behind, and I think he would have real grounds for being concerned. TONY EASTLEY: Damian Kingsbury from Deakin University. That report from Anne Barker in Dili.

MARK COLVIN: There have been dramatic developments in the presidential election in East Timor, including claims of serious voting irregularities and demands for a recount. Several candidates have written a letter to the National Electoral Commission in Dili alleging voter intimidation. Anne Barker, our correspondent in Dili, joins me now.(to Anne Barker) Anne exactly has happened in the last couple of hours?

ANNE BARKER: Well Mark, it's been pretty dramatic, as you say.

We've only learnt of this late today, where five of the candidates have, as you say, written a letter making some very serious allegations of fraud and intimidation during the election campaign. In particular, they accused the ruling Fretilin Party of waging terror and intimidation of voters at the ballot box. They say that there have been too many votes issued and distributed. They say there's a serious discrepancy between the number of voters on the day and the number of votes that have been collected. They also say that there was an unauthorised extension of voting without the proper sort of observers and authorities standing by to witness it.

And they're demanding that all the votes be brought back to Dili and recounted in public, with all eight candidates present. Otherwise they say they'll go to the Supreme Court and launch a challenge.

MARK COLVIN: So to be clear, all these accusations are being aimed at the Fretilin Party.

ANNE BARKER: That's right.

I mean, there is an accusation also of intervention, and this is a quote, "intervention by Government members at several polling booths." But when they say Government members I think you can take that to mean Fretilin members, because it is a ruling Fretilin Party, even though independent candidate Jose Ramos Horta is the Prime Minister in an interim period.

MARK COLVIN: And is Jose Ramos Horta one of the ones complaining?

ANNE BARKER: Well, he wasn't at the press conference with the five candidates who made this complaint, and he certainly hasn't signed that letter.

But at a separate press conference earlier today he did make some allegations of his own. He said that some thugs at the eastern town of Viqueque had threatened his own members, and I think the impression was that he meant Fretilin members there.

He also did say that there were errors in the way that some votes might have been entered in the database, or in the computer sort of counting system. So he has sort of alleged some discrepancies himself. But he hasn't gone so far as to make this serious allegation that the others have.

MARK COLVIN: Are there independent election observers up there who might confirm or deny that these things have been taking place?

ANNE BARKER: There are. There are 250 or so international observers and more than a thousand local observers. So far, these allegations have been made so late today that we haven't had a chance to really run it past them.

The National Electoral Commission has just held another press conference where they've said that they're not aware of the complaint as yet and that it will have to be put in writing for it to be taken seriously, but if that is done then they will listen to the complaint and there is every chance that there will be a recount. So we have to wait and see what will happen there. MARK COLVIN: So a recount seems extremely likely, but in the meantime, where does this now very questionable count show?

ANNE BARKER: Well, at the moment we've just heard that the last... the latest official figures from the electoral commission show that Fretilin candidate Francisco Guterres, or "Lu-Olo", does indeed have the lead in this count. He's on about 29 per cent of the vote nationally. Jose Ramos Horta is in second place with 22 per cent and the third candidate, Fernando de Araujo, is back on about 18 per cent.

Now, it seems that the only votes left to count are mostly sort of invalid votes or donkey votes or, however, they were phrased. But there will be another recount at the national level, because so far it's been done only at the district level, and if that is confirmed, that count, then there will be a second run-off election between those two lead candidates next month.

MARK COLVIN: But it is a big turnaround from last night, same time, really, isn't it, when it did appear that the Fretilin candidate was trailing quite badly. Now, Fretilin would obviously say that that's because the votes from the east, where it's strongest, were late coming in, but the accusers would say that it backs up their case.

ANNE BARKER: Well that's right.

I mean the difference today is that we have had a lot of votes coming in from the eastern towns, particularly Baucau and Lautem which are two Fretilin strongholds in the east of the country.

Now it is... the party says they have very good campaigners there, good organisers and that's why their vote has sort of jumped today.

But in light of the allegations that we've heard this afternoon, you now have to wonder whether there may be something more sinister behind it...

MARK COLVIN: Alright...

ANNE BARKER: ...but certainly no one can know that yet.

MARK COLVIN: Thank you, Anne.

Anne Barker, our correspondent in Dili.

NZPA - Thursday, 12 April 2007Timor dominates Clark talks in Portugal

Recent elections in East Timor have dominated talks between Prime Minister Helen Clark and her Portuguese counterpart Jose Socrates.

Miss Clark held talks with Mr Socrates overnight ahead of a trip to Spain to visit New Zealand's America's Cup team and promote business and trade links.

Portugal, along with New Zealand and Australia, is part of a United Nations-mandated peacekeeping force in East Timor, a former Portuguese colony.

The troubled fledgling nation has just held the first round of fresh presidential elections, which appear to be headed for a run-off between Prime Minister Jose Ramos-Horta and the parliamentary chief of the ruling Fretilin Party, Francisco Guterres.

A regional split erupted into bloodshed last May after the sacking of 600 mutinous troops from the western region. Foreign troops had to be brought in to restore order.

Miss Clark today said Portugal, which had more than 300 personnel in East Timor, remained committed to the country as long as foreign support was necessary and welcome.

"Like us they want to see continuing international involvement," she told NZPA.

But the presence of the foreign force could hinge on the outcome of the presidential election and upcoming elections to determine the Government.

It was possible a future leader or Government might revoke the peacekeeping force's invitation to be in the country.

"We can't take that for granted and I think there is a lot of water to go under the bridge in Timor."

She said the issue of East Timor was followed incredibly closely in Portugal. Fears have been raised that if Freitlin won the election it could show greater hostility to the foreign peacekeeping force.

Miss Clark said she had also raised New Zealand's relationship with Europe with Mr Socrates, as Portugal assumed the revolving presidency of the European Union (EU) on July 1. New Zealand was keen to sign up a science agreement with the EU as well as wine and air services agreements.

Miss Clark said Portugal was also looking favourably at a New Zealand proposal for a working-holiday scheme between the two countries.

It was possible such an agreement, which would allow young New Zealanders to work in Portugal for up to a year, could be signed within a year, she said.